The Commonweal jumps into its 2012 season with its 15th annual Ibsen
Festival. The festival features the premiere of Jeffery Hatcher’s
adaptation of Ibsen’s Pillars of Society. Pillars of
Society is directed by Executive Director Hal Cropp, and features resident
company member Scott Dixon as Karsten Bernick, a respected shipbuilder with a
hidden past. The cast also includes Katie Berger, Gary Danciu, Stef Dickens,
Catherine Glynn, David Hennessey, Carla Joseph, and Jeremy van Meter.
Enemy of the People, 2011. Photo Jason Undererth.
is the third Ibsen adaptation created for the
Commonweal by Jeffery Hatcher as part of a series of new versions of
Ibsen’s plays developed for the American stage, beginning with
John
Gabriel Borkman, last season’s
An Enemy of the People, and
slated to continue through 2014 with new imaginings of
A Doll’s
House and
Brand.
The Ibsen Festival offers events and presentations throughout the weekend to
satisfy a variety of interests. Guests may attend lectures, film presentations,
musical concerts, and artist displays.
The Commonweal is proud to welcome
Professor Errol Durbach,
Professor Emeritus of Theatre Studies at the University of British Columbia and
vice-president of the Association for the Advancement of Scandinavian Studies
in Canada, as keynote speaker. Professor Durbach is the author of
Ibsen The
Romantic,
A Doll’s House: Ibsen’s Myth of Transformation,
and a collection of edited essays in
Ibsen and the Theatre. He has
also adapted
Peer Gynt (2006) and
The Master Builder (2009)
for performance.
Building on the themes of
Pillars of Society, the Commonweal
Theatre will be partnering with The Lanesboro Arts Center, Vesterheim
Norwegian-American Museum, and The Minnesota Marine Art Museum to explore the
Norwegian immigrant experience in America. Events officially begin Friday
evening, April 13 and run through Sunday, April 15.
Weekend Highlights:
Visit Commonweal’s website for a full and up-to-date listing of events:
Commonweal Theatre (www.commonwealtheatre.org)
Friday, April 13
John Gabriel Borkman, 2010. Photo by Nyna Ramy.
6:30 pm, free, Commonweal Theatre
Exhibit showcasing some of the world’s finest maritime art. These
reproduction prints are on loan from the Minnesota Maritime Art Museum and
include a selection of “traditional” marine paintings, Hudson River
School works, and Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works that explore the
ongoing and historic human relationship with water.
Over the Back Fence
7:30 pm, $5, St. Mane Theatre Theatre
This community variety show features a house band, musical guests, comedy,
drama, skits, and audience participation. The theme for the evening…Moon
over Norway!
Pillars of Society
7:30 pm, $20, Commonweal Theatre
The Commonweal is proud to present Jeffrey Hatcher’s world-premiere
adaptation of one of Ibsen’s rarely-produced works. This final preview
performance features a post-show discussion with the director and cast.
Saturday, April 14
Pastries and coffee
9:30 am. Free, Commonweal Theatre
Start your day with Scandinavian pastries and coffee at the Commonweal Theatre
Events Hall.
Pannel Discussion: To America: The Immigrant Experience
10:00 am, free, Commonweal Theatre
Author of
Linka’s Diary: A Norwegian Immigrant Story In Word and
Sketches and head of the Luther College History Department, Professor
Marv Slind will moderate a panel discussion examining the
history of Norwegian immigration to the United States. Additional panel guests
include a Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum guide and a participant in the
Giants of the Earth Heritage Center oral history project.
Seminar: From There to Here: Finding Your Immigrant
Ancestors
1:00 am, free, Commonweal Theatre
Featuring genealogical researcher
Janis Martin.
Lecture: Errol Durbach. “Tragic Ibsen?: The problems of staging
Ibsen in the modern theatre”
2:00 pm, free, Commonweal Theatre
Author of
Ibsen the Romantic and
A Doll’s House: Ibsen’s
Myth of Transformation and the writer and editor of many articles on
Ibsen, Professor Durbach has translated and adapted several of Ibsen’s
plays for production, including
Peer Gynt, which won the most
outstanding production award in Vancouver for 2006. He has translated and
adapted numerous works by Ibsen, most recently completing an adaptation of
Ghosts. He will discuss the challenges encountered in the process,
focusing on the stagecraft, the symbolism, the light, its classical affinities,
and the attempt of the modern theatre to break free of the melodrama that
threatens to undermine one of the greatest tragedies of the 19th Century.
Concert: Natalie Nowytski with Dee Langley
4:00 pm, free, Commonweal Theatre
Natalie Nowytski, master vocalist of traditional Eastern European folk music,
is an award-winning composer and performer who sings in more than 40 languages.
Natalie will be joined by internationally renowned composer and accordionist,
Dee Langley, both of whom are members of the Twin Cities-based Balkan group,
Orkestar Bez Ime, winner of the 2011-2012 McKnight Fellowship for Performing
Musicians. They will share their love for traditional folk music with ancient
vocal styles and authentic instrumentals, recounting stories of immigration and
exploring the history of “New Americans” through the music of their
homeland.
Enemy of the People, 2011. Photo Jason Undererth.
6:00 pm, free, Lanesboro Arts Center
Opening reception for “Land by Hand: Fiber Artists Explore Place.”
The Commonweal Theatre is proud to sponsor this striking exhibit which explores
the concept of land and place through the medium of fiber arts.
Pillars of Society
7:30 pm, $30, Commonweal Theatre
Celebrate the opening night of
Pillars of Society! After the show,
join the cast and crew for an opening night reception.
Sunday, April 15
Pillars of Society
1:30 pm, $30, Commonweal Theatre
The Commonweal is proud to present Jeffrey Hatcher’s world-premiere
adaptation of one of Ibsen’s rarely-produced works.
Visit the Commonweal for schedules and tickets:
Commonweal Theatre (www.commonwealtheatre.org)
spring activity at the Commonweal means that the 2014 theatre season is on its way!
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